Multihull Sailing

If At First You Don't Succeed, Try, Try Again. Oops! [Sailing Video]

A hapless sailor named 'Captain Calamity' has destroyed his catamaran after flipping it for the 13th time while attempting to ride Britain's biggest wave. Read all about the hapless sailor at the Telegraph. Via Tim "Wetass" Zimmermann.

Rumor From New Zealand? Oracle To Take Cup To Europe!

I'm taking this with a grain of salt until we have more sources or a direct statement from Oracle.

From the New Zealand Herald

Oracle is set to shun the United States and hold the next America's Cup in Europe.

It's understood there isn't the financial willpower in the US to stage the regatta with the State of California broke.

Commentator PJ Montgomery says Larry Ellison is also poised to announce the Cup will not be raced in mono-hulls.

He says we should know in the next couple of months that the America's Cup will be raced in multi-hulls in La Maddalena in Italy.

Montgomery says there could be a small revolution from challengers on Oracle's hands.

He says Team Origin has already indicated it is not interested in multi-hulls.

- NEWSTALK ZB

This from stuff.co.nz

Veteran New Zealand yachting commentator Peter Montgomery is predicting the next America's Cup will be held in Europe

Larry Ellison and his BMW Oracle Racing team won the cup off Alinghi in a multi-hull best-of-three race off Valencia in February this year and had widely been expected to set up the next regatta around San Francisco.

BUt Montgomery claimed on Radio Sport today that the State of California was broke and the financial clout required to host such an event will come from Europe.

Montgomery predicted the regatta would held in La Maddalena in Italy and will be raced in multi-hulls.

However, Montgomery believes the multihull decision could result in a small revolution from challengers with Team Origin already indicating it is not interested in multi-hulls.

Hat tip to Craig Russell over at H2uh0.

Cross-pollinated at Pressure-drop.us

Wednesday Wipeout. Zwitserleven Dutch Open at Texel.

Dive, dive, dive!
Texel/Netherlands, June 16 2010
"The Zwitserleven Dutch Open Catamaran sailing 2010 had a rough start on Wednesday 16 June. The northeasterly wind increased to over 20 knots with high waves off the Texel beach. As a result, many sailors spent a lot of time swimming instead of sailing.
"

It's a hot day and I want to cool off.
"That F18 cat sailing is a different game from helming a bizzare 90ft trimaran, as James Spithill (AUS) experienced today. The helmsman of BMW Oracle lost his balance while wiring on the run and he took a flyer."

More at MySailing.com.au.

Do We Have To Use The Wayback Machine Again, Mr. Peabody?

"Sherman, set the Wayback machine to the late sixties. We are going to San Francisco."

"Will we be hanging out in the Haight with the hippies, Mr. Peabody?"

"No Sherman, we are going to meet David Allen Keiper, one of the pioneers of hydrofoiling sailboats. Our colleague Gary suggested the trip."

"So in less time than it takes to tell the tale, Sherman and I found ourselves back in the late sixties."

"Mr. Peabody, if I didn't know any better, I would think I am hallucinating. Is that because we had mushrooms on our pizza or is that really a hydrofoiling trimaran?"

"Sherman, you are not hallucinating. What you are looking at is the 32-foot Williwaw, the world's first hydrofoil sailing yacht. She was developed by Dave Keiper. The Williwaw cruised around the Pacific in the late 1960s, early 1970s, sailing as far south as New Zealand."

Remembering Dave Keiper and WILLIWAW...

[29 Mar 00] I was lucky enough in life to have sailed with Dave Keiper in the summer of 1971 on the most incredible boat I have ever sailed on. We were anchored in the middle of Hanalei Bay on the island of Kauai when Dave came in and dropped anchor. We had seen WILLIWAW flying around Waikiki a month or so before and were surprised to see her here. I had sailed over with a man named Gordy Gladson on his tri, and as all trimaran sailors in those days knew each other, we swam over to have a visit . Of course Dave (most gracious) had to show off the boat. We put out to sea in about a 15 knot trade wind on a beam reach. The boat started heeling like a monohull, and then the foils got a bite and the boat came up out of the water and accelerated like a car...what a rush!!! The boat was so fast and stable Dave could walk away from the tiller and she would run like she was on rails. This was truly one of the most memorable days of my sailing life of 35 years. .... -- Jim Wrenn

Go, Go, Go, Go Speedracer. L'hydroptère A Décroché Le Record Mondiaux!



L'hydroptère a décroché le record mondiaux : 50,17 noeuds (soit 92,91 km/h) sur un mille nautique.

L'hydroptère smashed the world record: 50,17 knots over one nautical mile.

Il devient ainsi l’engin à voile le plus rapide sur la distance de 1 mille nautique.
It's the fastest boat on the water

Watch this video from September to get a feel for her speed.